2024 Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools
51
Colleges in the United States
1,375
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
$31,221
Avg Early-Career Salary
Astronomy & Astrophysics isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #219 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.
College Factual reviewed 51 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of astronomy & astrophysics. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,375 degrees in astronomy & astrophysics during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Astronomy & Astrophysics School
Your choice of astronomy & astrophysics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for astronomy & astrophysics schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Astronomy & Astrophysics Degree Level
The astronomy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Astronomy & Astrophysics Schools.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Astronomy & Astrophysics in the United States
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the astronomy degree levels they offer.
10 Top Schools in Astronomy
Northwestern University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were roughly 14 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from Northwestern University
It is hard to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were approximately 28 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Chicago
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
65
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
It is difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 65 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Berkeley
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
43
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in astronomy & astrophysics. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 43 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of California - Los Angeles
Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.
There were approximately 28 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from California Institute of Technology
Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.
There were about 34 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the astronomy & astrophysics major at The University of Texas at Austin earn $11,549 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from The University of Texas at Austin
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In IL
Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were about 27 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MA
Located in the suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were approximately 20 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Massachusetts Amherst
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In AZ
44
Astronomy Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.
There were approximately 44 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Arizona
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In WI
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.
There were approximately 30 astronomy & astrophysics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in astronomy & astrophysics from University of Wisconsin - Madison
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